Monthly Archives: June 2023

Review: The Novelist’s Film

Posted on June 30, 2023 by philipbrasor

As a formalist, Hong Sangsoo rarely sticks to the same set structure, though, given his stylistic distinctions, many may assume he does. He often plays with time, linearity, and alternate outcomes in order to demonstrate how stories can be told, … Continue reading →

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Review: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Posted on June 29, 2023 by philipbrasor

The obvious outlier among last year’s Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations, Dean Fleisher-Camp and Jenny Slate’s story about a talking seashell never had a chance, which is probably why film cognoscenti tripped all over themselves in a rush to claim … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Transphobia fueled by hatred, spread by ignorance

Posted on June 26, 2023 by philipbrasor

On June 3, an anonymous person or persons posted 15 defamatory messages, including death threats, on the home page of Osaka attorney Shun Nakaoka. The poster accused Nakaoka of being a “man pretending to be a woman” and for that … Continue reading →

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Review: Calendar Girls

Posted on June 24, 2023 by philipbrasor

Not to be confused with the 2003 Helen Mirren comedy with the same title, Maria Loohufvud and Love Martinsen’s documentary nevertheless covers similar ground; namely, women of a “certain age” flaunting what they’ve still got to make a point about … Continue reading →

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Review: Confession

Posted on June 23, 2023 by philipbrasor

The first minute of Yoon Jong-seok’s convoluted thriller, based on the Spanish movie Contratiempo, neatly sets up the basic story. Powerful IT entrepreneur Min-ho (So Ji-sub) has been arrested for the murder of his mistress but is released due to … Continue reading →

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Review: To Leslie

Posted on June 22, 2023 by philipbrasor

Andrea Riseborough’s surprise Best Actress Oscar nomination, reportedly the result of a concerted campaign on the part of her and her PR team, will likely draw a lot of movie fans who might have overlooked To Leslie otherwise. It’s an … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Local politicians ask for crackdown on foreigners

Posted on June 20, 2023 by philipbrasor

A group of politicians belonging to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party recently submitted a “letter of opinion” to the city assembly of Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture. In the letter, the group demands tighter police surveillance of immigrants in the city, … Continue reading →

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Review: The Blue Caftan

Posted on June 19, 2023 by philipbrasor

Maryam Touzani’s Moroccan drama is all about beauty: Beautiful people making beautiful things in the pursuit of beauty for its own sake. The opening credit sequence features billows of colorful satin fabric shot with eye-popping attention paid to the tactile … Continue reading →

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Review: Marlowe

Posted on June 18, 2023 by philipbrasor

Since Liam Neeson has reinvented himself as an action star so successfully in his old age, it shouldn’t be surprising that he is the oldest person to ever play Raymond Chandler’s iconic mid-20th-century L.A. private eye on the big screen, … Continue reading →

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Review: Klondike

Posted on June 17, 2023 by philipbrasor

Maryna Er Gorbach started filming Klondike in 2020, before Russia invaded Ukraine, but it’s obvious where her loyalties lie. Set in the Donbas region of Ukraine in 2014, when local separatists aided Russian forces in taking over the area, the … Continue reading →

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